Device for aligning and spacing the insignia on military uniforms



June 11, 1963 s. J. BELL DEVICE FOR ALIGNING AND SPACING THE INSIGNIA ON MILITARY UNIFORMS Filed Aug. 15, 1961 2 JNVENTOR. SAMUEL 55/. 4.

United States Patent M 7 3,092,915 DEVICE FOR ALIGNING AND SPACING THE INSIGNIAON MILITARY'UNIFORMS Samuel J. Bell, Box 171, Lost Creek, Anaconda, Mont. Filed Aug. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 131,576 3 Claims. (Cl. 33-180) This invention relates to template devices for locating objects on articles of clothing, and more particularly to a template device for locating insignia on the collar or lapel of a military uniform.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved template device for locating insignia in relation to a specified portion of a garment, for example, in relation to the corner portion of the lapel of a military uniform, the device being relatively simple in construction, being easy to use, and enabling insignia to be accurately located and oriented on a military garment with a minimum amount of effort.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved insignia locating template device for use with a shirt collar, lapel, or other portion of a military uniform provided with a corner, the template device being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, and making it possible to obtain exact symmetry in the location of insignia on opposite lapels or other portions of a uniform provided with an adjacent corner.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the upper portion of a military jacket of the blouse type illustrating the manner in which an improved template device according to the present invention is employed to accurately locate insignia with respect to the corner portions of the lapel members of the garment.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the template device in the position thereof used in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the template device of FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the template device reverse from the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, and showing the manner in which the template device would be oriented for locating insignia on the right lapel of the garment of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the template device in the position thereof shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the template device illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5.

Referring to the drawings, the template device is designated generally at 11 and comprises a plate member of suitable fiat rigid material, such as sheet metal or the like, shown at 12. The plate member 12 is provided with respective edges 13 and 14 which are at right angles to each other and which define a corner 15, which may be rounded off, as shown at 16. The edges 13 and 14 make substantially the same angle with each other as the angle defined by the corner of the lapel 1-7 of a regulation jacket 18 of the blouse type forming part of a military uniform. Obviously, the angle between the edges 13 and 14 may be varied in accordance with the angle defined by the corner portion of the lapel of the uniform with which the template device is to be employed. It is further to be noted that the edges 13 and 14 need not make the exact angle as that which exists at the corner port-ion where the template is to he used, since the structure of the template device is such that it will cooperate with corners which are not necessarily right angular.

The plate member 12 is provided with a generally circular aperture 20 which is spaced substantially equal distances from the respective edges 13 and 14 and which is located at a position corresponding to the required loca- Patented June 11, 1963 tion of lapel insignia objects 21 worn on the lapel portion 17 of the garment 18.

The edge 13 is provided with a pair of oppositely directed guidefianges 22 and 23 extending perpendicularly to the plate member 12 and projecting from opposite sides thereof, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 3. Similarly, the edge 14 is provided with a pair of oppositely projecting guide flanges 24 and 25 projecting at right angles to the plane of the plate member 12, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 5.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the template device may be positioned on the lapel with the flanges 22, 23 and 24, 25 respectively engaging the lapel edges 27 and 28 adjacent the corner of the lapel, as shown in FIGURE 1, and the insignia 21 may be thus located by fastening same to the lapel while positioned in the opening 20 of the template device. The same operation may be performed on the opposite lapel by reversing the template device, so that the flanges thereof are engaged with the corner edges of the lapel at said opposite side of the garment. This enables the insignia 21 on the opposite lapels of the garment to be accurately located at specified positions with respect to the lapel corners and in exactly symmetrical relationship on the garment.

The opposite sides of the plate member 12 are inscribed with a plurality of guide lines 30 which extend parallel to the direction of a diameter of the guide aperture 20 and which intersects the guide aperture, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4. The guide lines 30 extend parallel to the adjacent collar edge 32 of the garment when the template device is positioned in engagement with the lapel corner, as shown in FIGURE 1, so that the guide lines 30 serve as reference lines to indicate the direction of the adjacent collar edge. The orientation of the insignia 21 can thus be accurately accomplished so that the insignia will be positioned accurately with reference to the guide lines 30. Since the guide lines 30 are provided on the opposite faces of the plate member 12, the lines being similarly oriented, namely, arranged so that they will be parallel to the collar edges 3-2 when they are placed on the lapel corners with which they are to be used, the insignia may thus be accurately positioned so as to have exactly the same relative orientation on the opposite sides of the garment and so that the insignia will be thus symmetrically oriented as well as symmetrically located on the garment.

While a specific embodiment of an improved template device for locating insignia on uniforms has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A template device for locating insignia in relation to a corner portion of a garment comprising a plate member formed with an insignia guide aperture, said plate member having a pair of edges meeting at a corner and adapted to be aligned with the edges of the garment adjacent said first-named corner portion, and a pair of oppositely directed guide projections on each of said edges of the plate member engageable with the garment edges, whereby the template may be reversely engaged with the garment corner edges on either the right or the left side of the garment.

2. A template device for locating insignia in relation to a comer portion of a garment comprising a plate member formed with a generally circular insignia guide aperture, said plate member having a pair of edges meeting at a corner and adapted to be aligned with the edges of the garment adjacent said first-named corner portion, and a pair of oppositely directed guide flanges on each of said edges of the plate member engageable with the garment a, a a 3 v edges, whereby the template device may be reversely engaged with the garment corner edges on either the right or the left side of the garment, said plate member being inscribed on its opposite faces with guide lines intersecting said guide aperture and-extending parallel to the direction of a diameter of said circular. guide aperture and at the same angle to a side edgeof the plate member.. j- 3. A template device for locating insigniain' relation to a' corner portion of a garment comprising a plate member f ormed with a generally circular insignia guide aperture, said plate member having a pair of edges meet ing at a'substantially right angled corner and adapted to be aligned with the edges of the garment adjacent said first-named corner portion, a pair of oppositely directed guideflanges on each of said edges of the plate member 15 1 7 engageable with the garment edges, whereby the template device may be reversably engaged with garment corner edges on either the right or the left side of the garment, and a plurality of guide lines inscribed on the opposite faces of the plate member, said guide lines intersecting said guide aperture and extending parallel to the direction of a diameter of said circular guide aperture and at the same angle to a side edge of the plate member.

References Cited in the file of this patent l UNITED STATES PATENTS v 1660;876 West Oct. 30, 1900 Henick Nov. 19,1957 

2. A TEMPLATE DEVICE FOR LOCATING INSIGNIA IN RELATION TO A CORNER PORTION OF A GARMENT COMPRISING A PLATE MEMBER FORMED WITH A GENERALLY CIRCULAR INSIGNIA GUIDE APERTURE, SAID PLATE MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF EDGES MEETING AT A CORNER AND ADAPTED TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE EDGES OF THE GARMENT ADJACENT SAID FIRST-NAMED CORNER PORTION, AND A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DIRECTED GUIDE FLANGES ON EACH OF SAID EDGES OF THE PLATE MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH THE GARMENT EDGES, WHEREBY THE TEMPLATE DEVICE MAY BE REVERSELY ENGAGED WITH THE GARMENT CORNER EDGES ON EITHER THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT SIDE OF THE GARMENT, SAID PLATE MEMBER BEING INSCRIBED ON ITS OPPOSITE FACES WITH GUIDE LINES INTERSECTING SAID GUIDE APERTURE AND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF A DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCULAR GUIDE APERTURE AND AT THE SAME ANGLE TO A SIDE EDGE OF THE PLATE MEMBER. 